Sera's POV 

Adrian strides towards me, Ivy in tow. The crowd parts, giving way to them until they stop in front of me.

"Sera?" Adrian breathes, eyes raking down my body. 

Tears well up in my eyes, Ivy's diamond glinting at me, mocking me. 

"Ivy, h-how could you?" I whimper, blinking hard so the tears don't fall. "You could've told me."

Ivy rolls her eyes. "Oh stop being a baby, Sera."

"Really?" My lips wobble.

Adrian glances around, all eyes are fixed on us. "Come on," he says. "Let's go somewhere more private."

I walk behind them, Adrian's hand rests on Ivy's back. The sight taunts me, it hurts me.

Grabbing my phone, I shoot a text to Laurel, asking her to wait with Ezra for a bit. She replies with a thumbs up, and I shove my phone back into my bag.

We round the corner, Adrian leading us into a room. It's tiny and dark until Ivy flicks on the light. 

Being this close to them, I take in Adrian. He's bigger than the media paints him out to be, taller too. 

Tattoos crawl up exposed arms, some peeking out from beneath the collar of his shirt. His dark hair is styled messily, falling over his eyes... and his green eyes... the resemblance between him and Ezra is uncanny.

"What are you doing here, Sera?" His voice pulls my eyes away from his body.

Ivy snorts. "She came for closure."

"Ivy," I gawk, surprised at what's going on. "I don't understand. Did I offend you?"

"Closure?" Adrian scoffs.

"I'm tired of your whining, Sera. Adrian this, Adrian that... I am so fucking tired," she snaps.

My heart skips a beat, eyes stinging. "That's a lie, Ivy. I've never asked about him until I heard about the engagement."

"And so what?" Adrian asks. "You came to see if it was true?"

"Adrian..." I hiccup, my voice weak. "I j-just-"

Ivy shakes her head at me. "Sera, move on! Adrian and I are in love, and we're going to get married."

"I'm not trying to stop you-"

"You ditched me, Sera! You just...disappeared on me, and now you want closure?" Adrian hisses. "Did you give me the chance to ask for closure?"

By now, the tears are already streaming down my face. I struggle to wipe them, my breath coming out in short pants.

"You hurt me, Adrian, but that's fine." I sniffle. "It's in the past."

Turning to Ivy, I speak. "You didn't have to hide it from me, Ivy. I thought we were best friends?"

"Not anymore." She shrugs, face blank.

"Is that why you ditched me outside?" I gasp, swiping my wet cheeks again. "Is that why you ignored my calls and texts while I was being embarrassed outside?"

A humorless laugh rips from her throat. "You never always get the hint, Sera."

"Who embarrassed you?" Adrian asks, eyes flashing.

I shrug. "It doesn't matter anymore, does it? I made it in, although I should've taken the embarrassment as a sign not to attend this."

"Yeah, you should've." Ivy nods, rolling her eyes. "Like I said, you never get the hint."

The lump in my throat thickens. "I guess. Now it's glaring, isn't it? I have one question though..."

"I really don't care, Sera."

"Ivy," Adrian murmurs. "You never told me you and Sera were still in touch."

"That's because we weren't," Ivy replies. "She was always the one calling me, texting me..."

A bitter laugh spills from my lips, a tear rolling down my face. I sniffle, and wipe it away.

I wish I could say Ivy is wrong, but she isn't. I was always the one checking in on her, always the one to reach out... and that's the problem I've always had.

I've always put in so much in every relationship, I only know how to give, and give...and just fucking give my everything.

What do I get in return? Heartbreak, ingratitude, betrayal.

I guess I never learn my lessons... and I never take the hints.

My mom used to tell me that my big heart will only get me killed, and here I am...doing the same thing and reaping the exact same reward. 

And I can't even be mad.

"How long have you both been together?" I ask Adrian.

His jaw ticks, grip tightening in Ivy's hands. "It doesn't concern you, Sera. You left me, remember?"

You cheated! Those are the words I want to scream over and over again at him. But I'm not here to reopen old wounds.

"Of course, how dare I ask?" I press my lips together, head bobbing. "I came for closure but I guess I've gotten more than I bargained for."

Ivy rolls her eyes, flicking her wrist to check the time. Adrian only stares at me, wordlessly.

So, I continue. "I didn't come to fight any of you. It's good to see you, Adrian. And I wish you both a wonderful home and relationship."

Adrian holds a hand out, but thinks better of it. He squeezes it into a fist, and it falls at his side.

"It's good to see you too, Sera."

Ivy doesn't say anything, she doesn't even look at me. I dig into my purse and pull out a napkin.

Dabbing my wet eyes and cheeks, I open the door. "I'll be out now. Good bye, Adrian....Ivy."

Adrian's jaw ticks, green eyes swimming with words he wants to say but doesn't. I don't stay to find out though, instead, I walk out.

The chatters and music that meet my ears are a necessary distraction. I'm typing on my phone, trying to figure out where Laurel and Ezra are, when a high pitched voice stops me.

"Aunt Ivy!" 

I whirl around to find Ezra running up to Ivy, Laurel grabs him on time and he shrieks.

Adrian stands just outside the door I walked out from, a deep frown on his face, eyes darting between Ezra and Ivy.

Ezra sees me from across the room, goosebumps prickle my skin because I know what's about to happen.

And it does.

"Mommy!" Ezra cries, breaking away from Laurel's grip and his little legs run to me. I squat to his level, catching his tiny body in time to pick him.

"Hey baby," I whisper. 

Laurel crosses over to my side, but Ezra refuses to go to her.

"Mommy, that's aunt Ivy!" Ezra points at Ivy who despite looking pale, still glares at both of us.

I push his hands down, avoiding Adrian's gaze. "No pointing. Come on, let's go."

"Wait!" I freeze at Adrian's voice. He steps closer to us, my heart drops. "Mommy?" He asks me, staring at Ezra.

"Urm..." I clear the thickness from my throat, offering a shaky smile. "He's my son, but we've got to go now."

Adrian ignores me, smiling up at Ezra. "What's your name, buddy?"

Ezra grins, dimples popping. "Ezzy!" 

"Ezra," I correct. Adrian glares briefly at me.

"How old are you, buddy?"

"Four!" Ezra holds up three fingers.

I feel the tension that arises between us. Adrian's jaw flexes, his eyes drag up to mine.

"He's four, Sera," he says, voice low. "I'm going to ask you once, and don't think of lying to me."

Cold sweat drips down my spine, and I swallow.

"Who's son is he?"

Adrian's POV

Sera averts my eyes, and that's all the confirmation I need. The resemblance is glaring, and I don't need a fucking genie to tell me he's mine.

The same dark hair, and green eyes... very similar to mine. He looks just like my baby pictures.

"You haven't answered my question, Sera," I snap, shallow puffs of breath leave my lungs, anger brewing in my chest.

Ivy steps towards me, a hand on my back. 

I stiffen, turning to her. "You knew Sera had a son."

It's not a question. Ivy's throat bobs on a swallow, cheeks flushing.

"I didn't think you-"

"You're right," I interrupt Ivy. "You didn't think."

"C-can we go somewhere private?" Sera asks.

"No," I shake my head once. "Not until you answer the damn question. Who's son is he?"

She gulps, looking away. "He-he's y-yours."

The words that leave her lips are barely audible, but I catch it. I knew it already, I just needed her to confirm it... but it still surprises me.

My jaw tightens, teeth grinding on each other.

"I'm about to walk out that door," I say, voice threateningly low, "if I don't see all three of you outside with me...fucking hell, you have no idea what I will do."

I stride off, footsteps brisk and fast. I shove my tight fists into my pockets, heat licking up my skin. I want to fucking punch something.

When I step out into the cool air, I'm swarmed by a sea of reporters.

"Mr. Cross, how do you feel about your engagement to Miss Shawn?"

"How long have you been dating Ivy Shawn?"

"Is Miss Shawn pregnant? Is that why you're proposing?"

I shoot a glare to the reporter that asked that stupid question. She shrinks back, cheeks reddening in embarrassment. 

A flash goes off.

Lips pulled into a straight line, I stomp down the red carpet. No one asks any other questions. My phone blares in my pockets and I know exactly who it is, my security Gillian...but I don't respond.

The valet brings the limo around, and I open the door. Ivy scurries in, but Sera is in a hurried conversation with a young girl. She slips some bills in her hands, and slowly approaches the car.

She looks up at me, face crumpling in that familiar way that shows she's guilty. "Adrian..."

"Get in the car, Sera."

She gives me a long look, sighs then gets in with her son-my son. 

Fuck.

Ivy pushes into one side on the chair, and I sit at the opposite end. Sera sits on the opposite chair, while Ezra whispers to her.

Grabbing a tumbler, I pour myself two fingers of whiskey and slam it down the back of my throat.

I welcome the burn, it licks away some of the anger but not nearly enough. I pour another finger, but this time... I nurse it.

The car ride is tense, thick with suffocating silence. Sera gives me brief looks every once in a while, Ivy types furiously on her phone.

"Look, Adrian," Ivy sighs. "All this is-"

I raise my glass. "Not now, Ivy."

All I need is to get my thoughts together. 

I have a son that I didn't know about...

I sip my whiskey.

***

"We're here, Sir," the chauffeur says, parking the limo in front of the house.

"Thanks." I get out, holding the door open for Ivy and Sera. In her arms, Ezra is asleep, and my fingers itch to hold him, but I stuff them in my pockets.

The walk to the door feels longer than it usually is, almost as if we were all avoiding the bomb that was about to drop.

Sera and Ivy shuffle in, and I click the door shut.

"Give him to me." I hold my hand out to Sera. "I'll put him in my room."

Sera frowns. "I don't think we should-"

"Unless you want to wake him up with the ruckus that is about to happen, I suggest you hand him over."

She shudders, chest rising and falling rapidly. "I-I will do it. J-just point me to the room."

I scoff, a hollow laugh drags out of me. "You think I would let you have free reins in my home? After hiding the biggest part of my life for years?"

"I didn't mean to..."

"You're not better than a liar and a fucking robber."

She gasps, my words cutting into her. Tears fill her eyes, and for a moment, I want to take my words back...but I don't. 

I stretch my hand out again. This time, she doesn't argue, she places the little boy in my arms. I walk to my room.

Placing him on my bed, I take a moment to inspect his features. Long dark lashes frame his eyes, tiny nose and puckered pink lips. 

He's gorgeous...and he's mine.

With one last look, I cover him up, guarding him with pillows and then I'm back in the living room.

Sera immediately stands when she sees me. "Adrian, I didn't mean to keep him away from you. I swear."

"But you did," I hiss. "Four years, Sera. Four fucking years, and you hid him from me."

"There was no way to reach you," she lies. The biggest lie I've heard in a while.

I snort. "But you were able to reach me the moment you heard I was proposing?"

"I'm sor-"

"Don't even." I glare, whirling around to Ivy. "And you, Ivy. You knew about this, you knew she was with my son yet you didn't think I should know?"

Ivy sighs. "Baby, she didn't want you to know about it. I swore to secrecy."

The endearment irks me, eyes twitching.

"You swore to secr-" I pause, shaking my head. I rip my tie off, and pop two buttons on my shirt. 

Sera's eyes follow the movement but it's brief. She finds my eyes again. 

"I've not had it easy, Adrian."

"Don't make it about you, Sera. You had every moment to reach out," I tell her, jaw ticking.

"I know," she sniffles. "I'm so sorry, but after everything that happened between us...I didn't know how."

"You fucking left me, Sera!" I roar. She flinches, Ivy jerks. "You left without a word. I called you every single day for a whole month until you changed your number!"

"So what? You just expected me to pick up? After what you did?"

"What I did? You ghosted me, Sera! I went by your house but you and your parents had moved, I called you, Sera-" 

The words get stuck in my throat, memories of that month filter into my mind. How lost I was, confused and so heart broken.

"I'm sorry, Adrian." Sera swipes harshly at her eyes. "I had to do what was best for me."

"By keeping my son away from me," I scoff.

"I think I'll let you two hash this out." Ivy rises. "But for what it's worth Adrian,I told her to tell you the first few months, until I eventually gave up."

I shake my head at her. "You should've told me."

"Only a parent knows what's best for their child, Adrian. I couldn't intrude."

"You're right," I say, pinning Sera with a look. "And now that I'm a parent, I know what's best for my son."

"W-what does that mean?" Sera asks, dabbing at her eyes.

"It means that you're not leaving this house with Ezra," I say. "It's either both of you stay here, or you leave without him."

"What?" Both of them chorus, although with different expressions.

Ivy is flabbergasted, shocked...while Sera, she's angry. Her face flushes, teeth clenched.

"You have no right!" She snaps. "He's my son."

"He's our son," I correct. "And I have every fucking right, Sera. He's going to know me as his father."

"No, you can't do that..."

"You can choose to agree to this amicably."

Her frown deepens. "And if I don't?"

A small, malicious smirk tilts my lips upward. I grab a bottle of whiskey from the bar, pour it and take a small sip.

Everyone waits for my response, and the wait is long.

Eventually, I respond.

"If you don't, Sera. I'll be forced to sue for custody...and we both know who will win."

Her jaw drops, she stiffens, eyes hard. 

She scoffs. "You're a fucking bastard."

I raise a glass to her. 

"That..." I raise a glass to her. "I am."

Sera's POV

I stand frozen, staring at the man I once loved - the man whose smile used to be my favorite thing in the world.

For a moment, I think I mishear him.

"File for custody?"

No. He can't be serious.

But Adrian's face is stone, unreadable, his green eyes calm in that infuriating way that makes me feel small.

My stomach knots. I know if he goes through with it, he'll win. He has money, status, power. And I'll lose Ezra. I can't let that happen.

So I swallow the lump in my throat and whisper the words that taste like surrender.

"Fine... we'll stay."

His eyes widen slightly - surprise flickers, quickly masked by a smirk. "Really?"

I nod, my gaze fixed somewhere around his shoes. "Yeah."

"Alright," he says, clearing his throat. "There's a guest room down the hall. You and my son can stay there."

My son.

The words echo in my chest like a cruel bell.

Ivy's heels click against the marble floor as she steps out from the kitchen. The glare she shoots me is sharp enough to cut through glass.

For years she's smiled in my face, called me her friend. But that look - it's hate, raw and unfiltered. Maybe it's always been there. Maybe I've just been too naïve to see it.

I can't bear to stand there another second. My chest feels tight, my throat burns.

I turn and walk quickly to the room Adrian mentions.

It's pale, empty, and cold - just like my heart feels at this moment.

I sink onto the edge of the bed, gripping the sheets until my knuckles turn white.

The tears I've been holding back all night - the engagement party, the whispers, the pain - all break free at once. Silent sobs shake my shoulders as the reality hits me: I'm trapped again.

Then I hear a small, trembling voice at the door.

"Mom?"

Ezra.

I wipe my tears quickly and force a smile. "Come here, my big boy."

He runs to me, wrapping his tiny arms around my waist. I hold him tight, breathing in the warm, familiar scent of his hair. He's my anchor - my reason to keep going.

"Aren't we going home, Mom?" he asks, tilting his head, his big green eyes shining with confusion.

I swallow hard. "This is home now, sweetheart. Just for a little while."

"No, Mom," he says, frowning. "I don't like it here. That scary man and Aunt Ivy... they scare me."

A sad smile tugs at my lips. He looks so adorable when he frowns, so much like-

like his father.

I almost tell him. Almost. But not now. He doesn't need that burden yet.

"Uncle Owen will come visit us, okay?" I say softly.

He nods slowly, but before I can say anything else, a deep voice comes from the doorway.

"Why do you want to go back? This is your home."

Adrian stands there in a gray tank top and sweatpants, arms folded, veins visible beneath his skin. The casualness makes him look too human - and that almost hurts more.

"Come here," he says, motioning to Ezra.

Ezra turns to me uncertainly.

"It's okay," I whisper, nodding.

He hesitates, then walks to Adrian, who lifts him into his arms with surprising gentleness.

"My boy," Adrian murmurs, his voice thick. "Daddy misses you so much. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner."

The word Daddy hangs in the air like a secret I'm not ready to share.

Ezra frowns, confused. "Daddy?" He turns to look at me, eyes searching mine for confirmation.

I nod, my heart twisting.

"Arrange your things," Adrian says after a pause, his voice turning firm again. "Dinner will be ready soon."

He carries Ezra out, and for a moment, I just stand there - numb - watching the man who once shatters me now holding the only piece of my soul that matters.

Later, I go downstairs for dinner, though every step feels heavier than the last. Laughter floats from the dining room - Ivy's high-pitched giggles, Adrian's low chuckle. Ezra sits quietly between them, his little face blank.

They look... perfect. Like a family I no longer belong to.

When they notice me, silence falls instantly.

"Mummy!" Ezra says in relief.

I smile and take the seat beside him. He reaches for his spoon but struggles a little. I gesture for him to come sit on my lap, and he does, curling into me like he always does.

As I feed him gently, I can feel Adrian's stare burning through me.

"He still can't eat on his own?" Adrian asks sharply.

I ignore him.

"I'm talking to you, Sera," his voice rises, irritation cutting through the air. "He's four, for God's sake."

Ezra flinches at his tone. My hands tremble.

At home, Ezra eats just fine. But in strange places, he always clings to me. He just needs comfort - not judgment.

Before I can respond, Ivy speaks, her voice dripping with venom.

"Thank God you brought your son home, Adrian. She's clearly not fit to be a parent."

I freeze. My head snaps toward her.

"What did you say?" My voice comes out sharper than I expect.

"You heard me," she sneers. "Poor parenting skills, that's what you have."

A bitter laugh escapes my lips. "And you know that how?"

She blinks, startled that I answer back, then quickly turns to Adrian, forcing a few fake tears.

"Did you hear that? She's attacking me!"

Adrian's expression hardens. "Enough, Sera. Apologize to her."

"Apologize?" My voice cracks. "She calls me an unfit mother in front of our son - and you say nothing! And now you want me to apologize?"

My eyes burn. "To hell with your apology."

I stand abruptly, my chair scraping the floor. "Come, Ezra."

"No, Ezra, stay," Adrian orders.

Ezra freezes between us, trembling. His little hands ball into fists as tears roll down his cheeks.

"Mummy, I don't like Daddy!" he cries, his voice breaking.

The sound tears through me.

"Don't you dare leave with my son," Adrian says, stepping forward.

"Watch me," I snap, clutching Ezra tighter.

"First you run off without telling me you have a child, and now this?" His voice cracks - pain, anger, disbelief tangled together.

"Don't you dare act like the saint, Adrian," I say through clenched teeth. "You cheat. You lie. I'm done pretending."

I turn to leave, but his hand clamps around my arm, yanking me back.

"Let me go!" I scream, pain shooting up my shoulder.

Ezra wobbles in my grip, almost falling.

"What are you doing? You'll hurt him!" I cry. My palm flies before I can think - the sound of the slap echoes across the dining room.

Adrian freezes, hand to his cheek, eyes wide.

And then Ivy lunges at me.

"How dare you slap my husband, you worthless bitch!" she screams, her fingers twisting painfully in my hair.

Tears blur my vision. I struggle, gasping -

"Please... leave my mummy alone!"

Ezra's voice. High, terrified.

And then -

A thud.

I turn just in time to see him collapse to the floor.

For a second, everything stops - the air, the noise, my heartbeat.

"Ezra!" I scream, my knees hitting the ground as I gather his limp body into my arms. "Ezra! Baby, open your eyes!"

The world spins into chaos - Ivy's gasp, Adrian's voice shouting something - but all I can hear is my son's name leaving my lips over and over again.

"Ezraaa!"